The report said that the regime began to disrupt the transmissions on Thursday with the beginning of celebrations on the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution. The Islamic nation has also been blocking GMail since Thursday.

The current national debt is $12.3 trillion. Check out the National Debt Clock, which tells you your share of that - roughly $40,000 per citizen, $113,000 per taxpayer.

The bill also establishes a statutory Pay-As-You-Go procedure requiring that new non-emergency legislation affecting tax revenue or mandatory spending not increase the Federal deficit - in other words, that any new spending or tax cuts be paid for with new taxes or spending cuts.

In a televised address to his cabinet, he criticised EU members for sending "mixed messages about our country... that have created a psychology of looming collapse which could be self-fulfilling". Mr Papandreou blamed the European Commission for failing to crack down on the previous conservative government's "criminal record" in falsifying statistics. "This has undermined the responsibility of the European institutions with international markets," he said.

His outburst is likely to infuriate the very leaders whose help Mr Papandreou needs. It came as it emerged there would be no more talk of financial assistance until Athens had persuaded the EU that it had a sustainable austerity programme in place. Germany is insisting Athens bears initial responsibility for restoring confidence in Greece. Angela Merkel, German chancellor, resisted French efforts to come up with an explicit bail-out package at Thursday's summit of EU leaders in Brussels.

The stark warning came as the euro slipped further on the currency markets and dire growth figures raised the prospect of a 'double-dip' recession in the embattled zone. Claims that the euro could be headed for total collapse are particularly striking when they come from one of the oldest and largest banks in France - a core founder-member.

In a note to investors, SocGen strategist Albert Edwards said: 'My own view is that there is little "help" that can be offered by the other eurozone nations other than temporary, confidence-giving "sticking plasters" before the ultimate denouement: the break-up of the eurozone.' He added: 'Any "help" given to Greece merely delays the inevitable break-up of the eurozone.'

The alarming claim came a day after European Union leaders promised 'determined and co-ordinated' action to shore up Greece's tattered public finances, but disappointed traders by failing to provide specifics. Further details are expected early next week, but markets were in high anxiety yesterday amid fears political divisions among rich eurozone members could derail any rescue.

Earlier this week Business Secretary Lord Mandelson's claimed that the single currency had been a 'remarkable success' and that it remained in Britain's interests to join.

A background note by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said a 2007 report wrongly stated that 55 percent of the country was below sea level since the figure included areas above sea level, prone to flooding along rivers. The United Nations has said errors in the 2007 report of about 3,000 pages do not affect the core conclusions that human activities, led by burning fossil fuels, are warming the globe.

"The sea level statistic was used for background information only, and the updated information remains consistent with the overall conclusions," the IPCC note dated February 12 said. Skeptics say errors have exposed sloppiness and over-reliance on "grey literature" outside leading scientific journals. The panel's reports are a main guide for governments seeking to work out costly policies to combat global warming.

The 2007 report included the sentence: "The Netherlands is an example of a country highly susceptible to both sea level rise and river flooding because 55 percent of its territory is below sea level." The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, the original source of the incorrect data, said on February 5 that just 26 percent of the country is below sea level and 29 percent susceptible to river flooding.

The panel expressed regret last month after admitting that the 2007 report exaggerated the pace of melt of the Himalayan glaciers, which feed rivers from China to India in dry seasons, in a sentence that said they could all vanish by 2035. The 2035 figure did not come from a scientific journal.

From Ardmore all the way to Dallas and even in Louisiana, the south is snowed in. For many, it's a winter wonderland in places that rarely see such weather. But none of it comes close to the mess up north where two blizzards have blown through in a week. Weather like this is why Marsh is studying to be a meteorologist.

Even as the snow fell outside the National Weather Center in Norman, inside Marsh was tracking what could be a rare winter weather phenomenon. Marsh, a student employee at the NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, is currently trying to collect photos of snow on the ground in all 50 states. Marsh said Florida is the only state without snow on the ground at this point, but he said two to four inches of snow is forecasted on Friday in some parts of the state. There is currently even snow on some of the mountain tops in Hawaii.

"Since the beginning of my pontificate, I have been encouraged that relations between Catholics and Lutherans have continued to grow, especially at the level of practical collaboration in the service of the Gospel," the Holy Father said. He expressed hopes that "continuing Lutheran-Catholic dialogue both in the United States of America and at the international level will help to build upon the agreements reached so far."

The Pontiff noted dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans "so promisingly started after the Second Vatican Council," and he said an "important remaining task will be to harvest the results. To build on what has been achieved together since that time," Benedict XVI proposed "a spiritual ecumenism should be grounded in ardent prayer and in conversion to Christ, the source of grace and truth. May the Lord help us to treasure what has been accomplished so far, to guard it with care, and to foster its development."

The Bishop of Rome concluded citing words from Pope John Paul II, "during whose pontificate so much was accomplished ON THE ROAD TO FULL VISIBLE UNITY AMONG CHRISTIANS."

The 27 leaders never even discussed how they might shore up Greece or the rest of Club Med. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was not willing to broach the subject at all. The only relevant topic was whether Greece was complying with Treaty obligations, and how the country would slash its budget deficit from 12.7pc to 8.7pc this year - in a slump.

"They offered nothing," said Jochen Felsenheimer, a credit expert at Assenagon in Frankfurt. "It was just words without any concrete measures, hoping to buy time." Whether the EU has time is an open question. Credit Suisse says Greece must raise 30 billion euros (26 billion pounds) in debt by mid-year, mostly in April and May. Greek banks have been shut out of Europe's inter-dealer markets, forcing them to raise money at killer rates. They are suffering an erosion of deposits as rich Greeks shift money abroad. This could come to a head long before April.

"Economically, we are in a very risky situation. Greece is close to default. We face systemic risk like the Lehman collapse and unless there is a bail-out for Greece, there will have to be a bail-out for the whole European banking system within two or three months," he said. Yet they are damned if they don't, and damned if they do. "A Greek bail-out increases the risk of EMU break-up, because monetary union can only work if everybody sticks to the rules," Mr Felsenheimer said.

But priests in the Birmingham Oratory have a similar epistle from Pius IX, in 1847, accompanying what was purported to be Valentine's entire body. Meanwhile, the Blessed John Duns Scotus Church in Glasgow's Gorbals offers Valentine's 'genuine remains' in a gold casket marked 'Corpus Valentini Martyris'. Time to call in CSI Miami!

In some towns and cities a quarter of shops lie vacant as the recession has exacerbated the effect of other problems, such as rising rents and the growth of out-of-town shopping centres. The report, from retail research firm the Local Data Company, comes at the same time as shopping experts warned that the high street will never be the same again.

Matthew Hopkinson, from the Local Data Company, said the recession is not the main reason why there has been such a huge wave of closures in high streets. He blamed a toxic combination of 'upward-only' rent reviews, parking restrictions, soaring business rates and out-of-town developments taking customers from town centres. Another major reason is the internet-retailing boom, with millions doing most of their shopping online. Mr Hopkinson said: 'The recession was just the straw which broke the camel's back.'

However, in answer to the earlier question I think there are some compelling reasons why people in Britain should look forward to this historic event.

Firstly, this is a visit from a head of state whom Britain benefits from having good relations with. Quietly, in recent years, Britain and the Vatican have worked together to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which aim to eradicate extreme poverty, combat aids and protect the environment. Recently, Douglas Alexander, the International Development Secretary, writing in L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's semi-official newspaper, explained that, "the Catholic Church... has been a crucial partner to the international community in helping to achieve the MDGs."

Second, the Pope's visit is not only for Catholics. He's the most prominent Christian leader in the world and won't just be addressing his own followers - as if they were part of a sect - when he speaks. His desire is to address, in the words of the seminal Second Vatican Council text, Gaudium et Spes, "the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age."

Third, the visit will show that Catholicism makes a valuable contribution to Britain. Secularists will want to portray Catholics as closed-minded oddballs obsessing about sex, but the truth is rather different. A recent Ipsos Mori poll found that Catholics, due to their faith, place a higher than normal emphasis on helping the poor, homeless and giving aid abroad.

Without doubt the visit will generate controversy, but to those who wish to see it, the Pope can offer a morale boost to the country and some badly needed moral leadership.

The Methodist Church is prepared to be absorbed by the Church of England if that is the price of unity, Britain's most senior Methodist said yesterday. The Church of England and Methodists have been flirting with reconciliation ever since their divorce two centuries ago. Formal talks between the two churches began in the 1960s, but an attempt in 1972 at full unity failed at the last hurdle because Anglo-Catholics were opposed. It took a generation for the Methodists to recover from the humiliation of being rejected after voting for a reunion.

Now, with only 265,000 members and heading towards extinction within a few generations, they are willing to try again. Yet the Church of England is also facing steady decline, having barely 960,000 monthly worshippers, and the Methodists have a strong hand. The Methodist Church owns prime real estate such as Westminster Central Hall.

Seven years ago the Churches signed a document intended to lead to reunion. In 2003, in the presence of the Queen, who is Supreme Governor of the Church of England, the leaders signed a covenant affirming each other's orders and sacraments and committing themselves to full unity. A progress report is due next year. Dr Williams told the synod that partnership with the Methodists had been crucial to the success of the church growth project Fresh Expressions. They also work closely with Westminster Abbey, and in many places unity is already in effect, with congregations sharing buildings and even services.

Despite a show of Franco-German unity on the crisis and the first statement from EU leaders pledging to safeguard the currency's stability, hopes on the markets of a German-led rescue plan to shore up Greece's critical public finances were dashed by Merkel, who repeatedly emphasised that Athens would need to put its own house in order and brushed aside all questions of financial support.

"Germany is stepping totally on the brakes on financial assistance," said a senior EU diplomat. "On legal grounds, on constitutional grounds and on principle." Another senior diplomat said of the Germans: "They're not waving their chequebooks." An EU summit of 27 government chiefs in Brussels was the first opportunity to tackle the Greek crisis and also send a strong message to the financial markets, which have been betting against the euro for the last week.

The split meant 16 finance ministers could not agree a common position before the summit. "Germany cannot justify its taxpayers having to finance the lovely lives of the Greeks," said a senior diplomat. Rather than bailing out Athens, Berlin is insisting on rigorous policing of the Greek austerity programme by a triple force from the commission, the ECB and the International Monetary Fund, an exercise never attempted in the eurozone. "We recognise our responsibility for the stability of the eurozone," said Merkel. "Greece is not demanding any money from us."

The figures highlight how marriage has substantially fallen out of favour. From a peak in 1940, when 426,1000 young couples - spurred on by the urgency of World War II - married for the first time, just 147,130 marriages in 2008 were where both partners were getting wed for the first time. In total, just 228,204 marriages took place during 2008 in England and Wales.

The escalating cost of weddings, and the failure of the Government to support the institution of marriage were among the factors blamed. Though, long-term changes in society, especially the increase in the number of women working and their desire to get married later in life, are also key factors. The average age of women marrying for the first time has nearly hit the symbolic 30-year-old barrier, at 29.9, up from 29.8 during 2007. For men, the average age of getting married for the first time was 32.1 years, up from 32 the previous year.

Many expressed sadness at the statistics. Dave Percival, a campaigner for marriage, said: "Living together and marriage are increasingly seen as the same by the public, yet the outcomes are radically different. Two thirds of all the first marriages in 2008 can be expected to last a lifetime. Less than 10 per cent of cohabiting relationships last even to their tenth anniversary."

Mr Miliband argued the evidence should remain secret as it was based on intelligence passed on by America. But three judges rejected his case after a US court published details of the ex-Guantanamo Bay detainee's treatment during CIA questioning in Pakistan in 2002. It said the Ethiopian refugee, 31 - who lives in Britain - faced "sleep deprivation and threats" and was "shackled" when questioned.

It said his treatment was "cruel, inhuman and degrading". Mr Miliband told MPs the case had been followed "with a great deal of concern" by the US. He discussed the matter with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday. He said: "Intelligence belonging to another country should not be released without its agreement." He added Britain "firmly opposes" torture.